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“I’m back,” The words came from right behind him but, by the time Erik turned around, no one was there.
From down the hall, he heard the sound of glass breaking and a scream. It wasn’t like there was a big mystery as to what was going on but it still set him on edge. The sound of anything breaking could do that and his son knew it. So, maybe there was a bit of a mystery going on.
With determination, he followed where the sounds were coming from and just hoped the boy would still be there. The super speed could make parenting a nightmare from time to time, but Erik loved his boy and the powers he had.
“Peter,” He called as he knocked on the door but the force of the knock pushed the ajar door open until he could see in the room. The sight made him more determined, if possible. However, that didn’t help him know what to do in the slightest.
“Pete, what’s going on?” He asked, watching the boy pacing back and forth in the room, not using his full powers but moving almost at a normal person’s run. There were tears in his eyes and his hands running through the tangled mess of his white hair. Hair that was now streaked red with the blood from one of his hands.
“I hate them,” Peter said, turning and coming to a stop, looking at his dad, “I fucking hate them all, every last fucking one of them.” With the words came a kick to his bed, pushing it to the side with the force.
Erik moved slowly into the room, not wanting to anger his son further, “Who do you hate?” He asked, his voice as gentle as possible but trying not to show too much about how he was feeling or come off as condescending or patronizing. After all, he knew a thing or two about being angry, something he had apparently passed onto his boy.
“The kids at school. Teenagers suck, they’re all douchebags. I want- I want to punch them, to watch them-to, to—“
“Pete,” Erik said, interrupting him, “Mein Sohn, why don’t you take a moment, go for a run or we can go to the gym or something. Work some of that anger off and then we can talk about this, alright?”
“I don’t fucking want to dad. I want to—to…I don’t know.” The anger seemed to be melting from him as he fell back on his bed, his hands going over his face only in time for him to realize the blood on his hand and make a face of disgust. He dropped it instead on his shirt.
Erik walked over and sat next to the boy—teen, really, he needed to stop thinking of him as a child—and put his hand on his knee. “What happened at school today? Clearly, it was something.”
Peter stayed where he was, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as he reached down and pulled his shirt up, just a little.
Confused, Erik looked down. It didn’t take him long to find out what he was being shown. Bruises over his ribs and stomach but he was struggling to understand what had happened. With his powers, Peter should’ve been able to get away from anything but clearly, something happened.
“Some of the other kids were using their powers. They called it training. A telepath and a telekinetic teamed up to hold me down while the others…” He trailed off and stood up again, “Fuck!” He practically yelled, kicking the wall and putting a hole in it.
Watching, Erik only sighed. It would be hypocritical of him to tell the other not to do things like that and they both knew it all too well.
“Just for once,” Peter said, going back to walking around the room, “I want it to be the other way around. I don't want to be the good guy, I want to give them back everything they give me. I want to make them hurt, Dad. Why can’t I hurt them back? I keep getting so fucking angry and then I just want to cry and I don’t know what to do.” He was breathing heavily by the time he stopped, his volume had started at talking but he was back to almost yelling by the end.
Erik stood and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around his son. “I’m sorry you’re angry about this, but I do think you have every right to be. But you are the good guy, Peter. And I believe Charles would tell you it’s both a blessing and a curse.”
“I don’t want to go back there, Dad. I can’t,” He said, looking up at Erik, his face red and tears in his eyes once again, threatening to fall.
“You know I can never say no to those big brown eyes,” Erik replied, wrapping his son tighter in his arms. “I’ll talk to Charles when he gets home. I’m sure we can work something out. Either find another school to send you to or maybe homeschool you.”
“I don’t think I’d mind being homeschooled,” Peter said and Erik had a feeling that was the option his son was really aiming for. After all, what sixteen-year-old wanted to get up and be at school at eight every morning?
Erik nodded, “We’ll discuss it as a family later,” He repeated, not making any promises because he was leaning toward a different school. “But there is something else I think we should discuss.”
“What’s that?” Peter asked, pulling away from the hug to look at his dad, wearily, as though he knew what was coming and wasn’t a fan of it already. Erik was sure he wouldn’t be but it was for the best that they discuss it.
“I don’t think it would be the worst idea if you talk to a therapist. It might help, since you said you were angry and sad and didn’t know what to do,” Of course, there were a few other reasons on Erik’s mind for bringing it up, but he had a suspicion it wouldn’t help the situation. If someone told Erik to see a therapist for murderous ideation well it wouldn’t be just ideation for much longer.
Peter stood still for a moment, not looking Erik in the eyes, not even looking at him anywhere. After a few moments too long, he raised his head and said, “I think I’d like to go on a run now.”
It wasn’t an agreement to go anywhere or do anything, but it was something. Erik knew Peter could do some of his best thinking while he was running and it was something that would help with all the feelings he was working through.
So, instead of pushing the issue, he just nodded and watched Peter as he ran from the room.
That evening once Charles was free and Peter had returned from his run, the three of them sat down together. There was much for them to discuss and a decision to be made, as soon as possible.
“Your dad said you’d been having some problems at school?” Charles asked, looking at Peter who was sitting in a chair across from the couch where the two of them had sat.
Erik had kept the details to the minimum. After all, he decided that it was Peter’s choice how much Charles should know about what was going on. He could share as much or as little as he liked.
Charles did work at the school Peter went to and, even though he was only a stepfather, he had a large role in the boy's life, having been a part of it for the last six years. There was plenty Charles already knew, like the bullying that was taking place, though if he knew the full extent then he was going to be in trouble with Erik later for now sharing that bit of information with him.
“It’s just some of the other kids,” Peter said, trying to shrug it off now. Almost two hours had passed and he’d calmed down from how he had been when he first came home. But Erik wasn’t going to let him off so easily.
“We were talking about either finding a different school or homeschooling,” Erik said, looking over at Charles, “Peter has made his preference clear but we thought having another perspective could help.”
A look of confusion and concern crossed Charles’s face, “Is it that bad?” He asked, “Who? What are they doing? You could’ve come to me sooner.”
Peter shrugged again, “It’s not that bad. I mean I’m still alive and shit. It’s just not ideal. And I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. You know that would only make it worse.”
“But I can help, we can talk to them and make them see that-“ Charles started but Erik held his hand out, stopping the man before he continued on with what he was saying.
“We’ll get things sorted for Pete for now and then you can get the names of the kids once our boy is safe,” Erik decided, before directing his attention back to his son. “Pete, would you be comfortable showing Charles what you showed me earlier?”
The teen looked from his dad to his stepdad for a second as though considering his answer. If he wasn’t comfortable with it, Erik would never push him but this seemed important, especially if Charles was questioning how bad it was.
Peter finally sat the game controller he was fidgeting with down and stood up. His hands went to his shirt and he pulled the bottom up to show his sides. Some of the redness from earlier was gone now but they were turning deeper shades of blue and purple.
Charles sighed, rubbing his hands over his face after seeing the marks. “I’m going to find the names of those who did this and they’re going to be expelled.”
And then they better just hope they don’t run into Erik in a dark alley because he was more than ready to kill them. Once he had gotten his son’s anger sorted, his own had come crashing in at full force and Erik wanted blood on his hands but he knew saying that wouldn’t help the situation in the slightest.
“You want to be homeschooled?” Charles asked, looking at Peter who only nodded in response. “Alright, we can do that, I’ll be able to sort everything out for it. But there is going to be one condition.”
“Yeah, alright,” Peter replied, dropping back down into his chair, throwing his legs over the arm of it as casually as he could but Erik noticed the way he winced at the movement. It was clear his sides were hurting him.
“You have to join some kind of club or activity. Find something to do with kids your age, keep socializing and outside of the house. Even if it’s only a couple of days a week. And it’ll be away from the students who hurt you, of course,” Charles added.
Erik found himself nodding along. It had been what concerned him the most when his son had said he wanted to be homeschooled. That he would end up alienated from other teenagers.
“I can do that,” Peter said, then seemed to hesitate, looking at Erik. There seemed to be something else that he was waiting for Erik to ask. Something that he was either eager for or terrified of. But it only took Erik a moment to realize what else they’d talked about.
“It’s up to you, Pete. Do you want to discuss the other thing or not?” Erik asked, looking at him. He had run away the last time Erik brought up a therapist, after all. There was no reason for him to try again if they’d meet the same result.
After a moment, Peter nodded, though he was looking anywhere but at his father. “It’s not changed in the last couple of hours. I still want to do the same things. I still want to make them pay and hurt them the way they hurt me. But I also want to curl up with a blanket under my bed and never come out again.”
Erik turned to look at Charles, “I suggested a therapist. And that’s something I’m sticking by. But you do have more connections in that area than I do and I’m sure you would know who could work best in this situation.”
Charles nodded, the look of surprise from Peter’s words slipping from his face. “I’m sure I could make a couple of calls and get him an appointment next week. How does that sound, Pete?”
The boy nodded slowly, biting his lip before standing up and closing the short space between him and the couch. He sat himself down in the small space between Charles and Erik. Both men were fine with the decision and quick to comfort the teen who had thought he had grown out of such things years ago.